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Do you remember the 22nd night of September?

Do you remember the 22nd night of September? I do.

Many standout players, teams, and student sections do too.

It was a night of wild finishes, open division previews, individual state record potential, and more.

How did that happen?

American Leadership Academy Queen Creek trailed Pinnacle 28-9 through three quarters. 

The Patriots won 29-28 with an Enoch Watson touchdown pass… to himself with 13 seconds remaining.

That’s the play everyone will remember. But the two touchdowns prior to that were astounding. And the final two defensive stands for the Patriots included three sacks and a forced fumble. That’s the difference in the game.

Don’t sleep on Ty Detmer’s team. Watson is the best quarterback he’s had and this program already has back-to-back Open Division appearances. The defense puts pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Expect this squad to make a run at an Open Division title.

We’ll see this matchup again

Chandler beat Highland 24-22 with a late comeback in a back-and-forth matchup.

Both squads look like the most complete teams (alongside Liberty and Basha) in the state.

Blake Heffron (Chandler) can sling it in big moments. The secondary for the Wolves is loaded with players who will play on Saturdays.

Kalen Fisher (Highland) looks like a top-5 2025 player in the state this year. Brock Farrel knows how to build a winner on defended, and now the offense is fully there to back that up.

Chandler will be in the open. Highland (barring a bad loss) will be there too because of its win over Basha a few weeks ago. 

These two are destined to compete in a must-watch championship game at Sun Devil Stadium.

Gage Baker deserves more talk

How did Gage Baker follow up a record 10 touchdown performance last week?

By throwing for SEVEN against perennial 3A powerhouse Valley Christian in a 52-33 rout.

https://twitter.com/JUSTCHILLY/status/1705440323684700182

Baker leads the nations in touchdown passes with 39. He has over 8,000 career passing yards. 

Don’t be surprised to see some accolades head his way by the end of the year… don’t leave him out of top quarterback conversations.

Other Notable Scores

Centennial 49 – Boulder Creek 0

Centennial (CA) 42 – Liberty 35 (Liberty played lights out)

Red Mountain 40 – Williams Field 21

Desert Edge 21 – Sunnyslope 7

Basha 48 – O’Connor 14

Mesa Mountain View 30 – Desert Ridge 22

Brophy 42 – Notre Dame Prep 17

Perry 49  – Shadow Ridge 13

Cactus 41 – Peoria 7

Westview 31 – Willow Canyon 28 (OT)

*Game-winning kick made by Bailee Ramirez

Horizon 43 – Millenium 13

 

Jordan Spurgeon enjoys covering sports all across the state and telling feature stories that impact people.

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